


Guitar Lessons

by halfaxa



Category: The Mighty Boosh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2018-12-30 21:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12117936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfaxa/pseuds/halfaxa
Summary: Howard is teaching Vince guitar, but when Vince brings up the idea of performing in front of people Howard isn't sure. He can't figure out why Vince is so enthusiastic or what he might be hiding.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi people, i haven't written in a while but imagining young Howard and Vince keeps me up at night and it needs to go on paper (or screen).
> 
> Also the song is talk tonight by oasis, i've been learning it recently so that served as inspiration. Hopefull more chapters to come xxxxx

The two were sat in Howard’s bedroom for the third time this week and for the same reason as the last two. It was one of the few times that Howard got control over Vince and not the other way round, Vince couldn't help but get Howard to comply with whatever his current need was, and Howard was generally happy to be needed. Vince was the first friend he had really clicked with and didn't want Vince to get bored, Vince was not academic but smart, not popular but cool, and not scared of anything. Howard's self esteem had listed Vince about five social levels above him but Vince couldn't think any different.

To himself, Vince was always the outsider, never quite fitting in, too scared of showing his full personality as if it were to put possible friends off. The truth was that Vince liked Howard as he was the only person he knew who was just as weird, and although they had only known eachother less than a year, Vince was certain he would never have this same bond with another person.

So on Vince's request, every other day after college ended, Howard was teaching Vince the only skill he didn't already know; guitar. The first time Howard showed Vince he could play guitar he had not received the reaction he was expecting;

"I can't believe you haven't told me this!" Vince had exclaimed, "I should be the one with the guitar, i have the look!"

Howard figured he could get cross at Vince for being so self obsessed but sometimes it was easier to nurture it, so Howard had volunteered to teach Vince if he'd play fair and do as Howard said. So that was why Vince had been visiting Howard's instead of doing his art coursework (a 5000 word essay on a chosen relevant artist- Vince didn't believe that essays should be done in art, you didn't need to be good at spelling to paint).

Howard had two guitars, acoustic and electric, and Vince had insisted going straight to electric. So far he had shown Vince A, E and D chords which Vince had pretty much got the hang of, and then G and C. Apart from complaining about his fingers hurting every couple of minutes, Vince was doing alright.

"When are we gonna do a song? Chords are well boring." Vince whined.

"All in good time," Howard calmly replied, he was a believer in starting from the bottom, learning the basics and then working your way up but Vince was always for jumping straight in and hoping it goes okay (which for him it generally did).

"c'mon Howard, ive learnt all these chords well good now, surely there must be something,"

"Well a lot of songs do consist of three or four basic chords, what do you want to learn?"

"Something cool...you know any Zappa?" Howard laughed a little;

"You can't start on prog, you need something a little simpler than that,"

"You're not gonna make me learn Wonderall are you Howard, i'm not jus been any tit with an acoustic guitar," Howard laughed again, although he did know that pretty much all oasis songs were easy to pick up despite whether Vince liked them or not.

"Well there is this..." Howard adjusted his guitar and gently started to strum out the tune and then even gentler he sung the lyrics. It was one of Howard's favourites and although he generally didn't appreciate the laddishness of Oasis or either of the Gallagher's arrogance, this song was a little softer.

_Sittin' on my own_   
_Chewin' on a bone_   
_A thousand million miles from home_   
_When something hit me_   
_Somewhere right between the eyes..._

Vince watched the his fingers as they skillfully switched position over and over again, perfectly in tune whilst his other hand, gripping the plectrum, strummed away. Vince didn't know the song himself but the way Howard sang and played was making him fall in love with it.

_Sleepin' on a plane_   
_You know you can't complain_   
_You took your last chance once again_   
_I landed stranded_   
_Hardly even knew your name..._

Howard continued to play, somewhere in the middle it became less about Vince observing and more like Howard was serenading Vince. Vince felt himself fiddling with his hair, feeling slighty awkward as his friend performed as if he wasn't in the room. This was another side to Howard that he hadn't seen before, it almost made Vince feel guilty for doubting he could be so skilled at something and instead of feeling slightly jealous like before, Vince felt proud that he had a friend like this, even impressed.

_All your dreams are made_   
_Of strawberry lemonade_   
_And you make sure I eat today_   
_You take me walking_   
_To where you played when you were young..._

And holy shit the lyrics were all too real in that moment, Vince was sure he'd never wronged Howard in such away but watching him sing with his soft brown hair falling over his eyes, sat cross legged on the bed wearing odd socks, Vince saw another thing in Howard he hadn't before (or at least stopped himself from seeing on occasion). This was the Howard that wasn't trying to impress Vince, or belittle him, he wasn't too confident either, just content.

_...I want to talk tonight_   
_Until the mornin' light_   
_'Bout how you saved my life..._

Howard cooed out the final words, almost forgetting Vince was sat next to him. He finished finished his little song, both of them unsure what to say.

"Soo-" Howard started but was instantly cut off.

"Howard that was amazing! You’re amazing! Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?"

Howard shrugged, returning to his personal state of awkwardness. "If you showed that side of yourself more often loads of girls would be into you,"

"Really?" Howard said, pricking up at the idea of any girl being into him.

“Definitely, you know the college is having a talent show soon, why don’t you be in it?” Vince said enthusiastically.

“Me? In front of the whole college? On my own?” Howard exclaimed.

“No you berk, i’ll be up there with you! You just need to show me how to do the thing where you play the guitar and it sounds good,” Howard chuckled, party at Vince, partly at the thought of playing guitar in front of the whole college.

“C’mon! It’ll be genius!” It could go well Howard thought, and if it didn’t you would be embarrassed in front of everyone you know. Realising the enormity in this Howard pulled back.

“Vince, you know i can’t,” Howard sighed.

“With me?” Vince tried, “...for me?” Now the idea had been put in his head, there was no way that he was going back, he had always envisioned him and Howard doing something together, maybe this was it, performing. He had the extroverted exterior that loved attention and Howard had the wit...and the skill and talent. “What if you just teach me the song, it didn’t look too hard and i’m a fast learner, we have three weeks and if we’re not ready we’ll jus pull out,”

Howard desperately did not want to do this, no matter how well it would go or how many girls wanted to go out with him after this, he couldn’t cope with the attention, having Vince’s full attention was more than enough, the nervous feeling he felt when he was just with him would be too much on a stage.

Reasserting the dominance, Howard realised that he was supposed to be teaching Vince, not Vince taunting him. “Fine! You can enter us but if we’re not ready were pulling out!”

Vince excitedly wrapped his arms around Howard in embrace and then realised what he just did and pulled back instantly.

“Cheers Howard,” Vince smiled and blushed as if his plan had come together, despite the fact he had only just thought it up ten minutes ago, to be fair, it was genius, Howard would look amazing on stage.

It was nearly half eight and Vince had to get back, he felt a little guilty for staying so long as his parents were away and his cat needed feeding. But he couldn’t help wanting to spend so much time with Howard. He was borrowing his first guitar and had it on his back as he cycled home in the depleting sunlight.

Turning into the estate Vince slowed quickly, noticing some people standing in the direction he intended on going. He knew exactly who it was, and speeding up again Vince zoomed straight past them, (one person in particular) and scrambled for his key to get inside as soon as possible.

But as soon as Vince was inside his anxieties reside, all he had to think about now was the guitar, feeding the cat and Howard’s delicate expression as he played the guitar. Except not that last one, for the sake of their friendship Vince had told himself he couldn’t. He couldn’t let it happen again.


	2. Abbey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vince and Howard decide to bunk off.

Dear T,   
I am sorry for breaking your heart. I promise i won’t do it again. And i totally understand if you never want to see me again, but it would be nice if you could let me know so i’m not waiting for nothing. Not that i wouldn’t wait- fuck. If you want me to wait for you i will and i promise. I know stuff with your dad’s not good right now. I promise we’ll be more discrete and then no one has to know. And i will be better too. Just please don’t hate me forever.  
Love Vince X

 

\----

 

Home alone, now was the time to practice. Vince was getting better, no where near Howard’s level of expertise but at least now when his fingers brushed against the strings the sound that came out was pleasant. His fingers still hurt a bit but not as much, they seemed to remember where to go and the song was almost eligible, they still had two and a half weeks before the talent show and Vince hadn’t been so determined to do something in at least a year. 

Monday came around which meant spending lunch in the music practice room whilst there wasn’t anyone else around to impeach on their time together. Howard was slightly annoyed about missing lunch to teach guitar to his idiot friend but Vince was insistent they could eat crisps on the train home. Vince was excited to show Howard how he had improved since the last time they played together, grabbing one of the department’s electrics he started fiddling with the tuning pegs.

“Woah there,” Said Howard, “Don’t push they too far they’ll snap.” Taking the guitar from Vince he rested it on his crossed legs and plucking each string, one by one, he tuned the guitar to the perfect sound. It was becoming a problem, how much Vince loved to see Howard quietly getting on with his passion that still seemed like a new discovery, the concentrated expression that bounced between his eyelashes and pursed lips had Vince mentally crossing the line he had promised himself he wouldn’t cross. “Here,” Howard said quietly passing the guitar back to Vince and then grabbing his own, “from the top?” he suggested and Vince nodded. After four they began to play, Vince growing slightly more confident in his playing as the song went on but leading the singing, he loved to sing even though he wasn’t that good- but neither was Ian Brown and everyone at college seemed to love the roses. 

To Howard’s demise, Vince was good, really good. Secretly Howard had hoped that he would struggle and they wouldn’t have to play in the talent show but that wasn’t looking likely. Sure Vince had messed up once in the chorus and then again at the end but he’d clearly been practicing hard over the long weekend and giving the guy two more weeks he’d have mastered it. Howard was going to have to resort to something more serious if he was to put an end to this; what was the most painless way to break your fingers again? 

But Howard couldn’t do that, he looked across at Vince who was gently going over the chords again by himself, he had never seen his friend so focused on something before. 

“You know, i don’t think we need much more practice, maybe we should just go to town for the rest of the afternoon,” Howard suggested, the less time Vince had to get better, the less chance they would play in the end, when he saw how good everyone else would be.

“An’ miss Physics? I thought you liked physics?” Vince questioned.

“Well yeah, i do, but we’ve got a supply and besides i’m already ahead on the work,” he replied, “You okay with missing History?”

“Course i am, when you choose your subject they should make it more clear that you’ll be writing fifty essays a fortnight, any excuse to get out of that class- i’ll take it,” Vince scoffed. So fifteen minutes after they arrived the pair were leaving the music practice room and then the college, quickly scuttling down to town before any classmates could see them skiving. 

Neither of them were from the area originally, Howard moved here with parents when his dad got a new job aged five and Vince in the last few years. His south London accent poking out among the rest of the north east coast and reminding Howard to ask him why he had moved in the first place. Why would anyone choose to move from London to a northern fishing village that had been in decline for the last two decades. Howard had never even met his parents, so much of Vince was still a mystery to him, his rule of never getting too close seemed cold this time.   
“Where we going Howard?” Vince whined, the voice coming deep from within his snorkel parker which was zipped right up as to block the cold and slightly wet breeze. 

“Where do you usually go when you bunk off?” Howard asked and Vince shrugged.

“Shops?”

“Really? Why don’t we go to the beach?” 

“Howard, it’s freezing, you can’t go to the beach when it’s freezing,” Vince insisted bitterly.

“Is that right, is it? I thought you’d like the beach when it was dark and creepy,” Vince shook his head, “Nah it’s jus’ boring Howard, i know somewhere we could go though,” Digging his hands into his pocket and pulling out a couple of sweet wrappers and three pound thirty in change, “let’s get the bus up to the abbey,”

“What, so you can hang ‘round where all the other goths go as tourists?” 

“No!” Vince exclaimed, “I’m not even goth i just thought it would be somewhere we can go,” Vince had dyed his hair black a couple of months ago but it hadn’t lasted, four days later and he had tried to strip it, leaving behind mottled streaks of brown and greeny blonde. Howard had liked Vince’s hair black, it brought out the blue of his eyes, but Vince had said it didn’t go with his current look; somewhere in between Damon Albarn and David Bowie. 

“I have three quid, is that enough on the bus?” Howard asked, concerned about venturing somewhere he never had before.

“Yeah, day tickets only one-sixty, then we can get chips,” They walked to the only bus stop that would take them there despite it being only a fifteen minute drive. It was cold still and the wind was strong, no doubt even stronger when they got to the top of the hill where the abbey was, it didn’t matter though, even the littlest sense of adventure was worth it to not be sitting in a classroom.

“Do you wanna get chips now or later,” Howard asked and Vince shook his head saying he wasn’t hungry yet. To get to the abbey they walked through the cobbled streets which were lined with strange clothes and sweet shops much to Vince’s excitement. The cold weather had filtered out the usual tourist crowd and the two pretty much had the strip to themselves. 

One shop in particular had caught Vince’s attention, the ceiling was covered in dream catchers, it sold cloaks and hats and patterned knee high socks. Vince said this was where he came to buy clothes and make up a lot, he talked about fashion often but Howard had never seen him in anything but loose jeans, trainers and a jacket, he figured it would be a mistake to come to college dressed in the things he described wearing but Howard liked to picture it. Maybe not the makeup, well aware it was his own conditioning to conformity he didn’t like to imagine Vince as too effeminate. When Vince had dressed as Debbie Harry for halloween this year the lines between gender had become all too blurred.

“Howard, check out these they’re genius!” Howard snapped back from his imagination to find Vince holding up a pair of silver boots, “Look there’s some gold ones too, we can wear these to the talent show,” Despite Vince’s enthusiasm there was no way Howard Moon was wearing those boots, with a considerable heel to note, in his own house never mind on stage in front of the whole college.

“I think they’re women’s, Vince,” 

“And?” Vince retaliated, Howard admired Vince’s daring confidence, he was beginning to realise that just-getting-by-at-college-Vince and free-from-judgement-Vince were very different people. 

Vince bought the boots and they headed straight up to the abbey, first they had to get up the 199 steps that Howard had only ever heard about. If Vince was wearing the boots he just bought they would in serious trouble but taking several breaks, they made it. The wind was rough and tore through the few layers they were wearing but neither complained. The wind was pushing Vince’s hair right back off his face, Howard had never seen his face so clearly, cheeks pinkened by the chill. Quickly pulling his hood right over his head, feeling all too exposed without his hair to act as a shield, faux fur framing his complexion. Howard let the wind rush across his face, he didn’t have as much hair as Vince for it to be blown about. 

“It’s fucking freezing up here,” Vince whined from within the parka. They walked along the path through the graveyard as far as it would take them. When they reached the fencing that stopped them from joining the cliff edge, Vince suggested they jumped over and explored further but Howard wasn’t sure, it was a fifty-foot drop straight into the sea if the wind happened to pick up their small bodies. 

“C’mon” Vince shouted through the noisy blusters, trying to hook his leg over the wooden barrier.

“You’ll fall straight into the sea if you don’t be careful,”

“Good!” Vince said, “It’s where i want to be, among the colourful fishes and sea anemones!”

“I doubt there’s any colourful fish on the whitby coastline, maybe a few crabs and shrimp if you’re lucky,” 

Deciding there wasn’t much point in jumping over the fence in the first place, Vince walked back towards Howard. “I’m freezing Howard, can we go inside somewhere?” Howard nodded and the two raced back down the steps to lower ground.

\---

It was the summer Vince moved. He didn’t want to, it was entirely his parents idea as they had always wanted to move out of the city. Vince couldn’t understand why, cities were where things happened, where cool people lived- not the yorkshire coast. The yorkshire coast was where huge fisherman used to live and now only pensioners and boring rich families in their second homes. If there was any upside to moving it was going to a new school, back home he was painfully aware he didn’t quite meet the standards of normality in many senses, maybe here he would fit right in. 

They had moved in the summer holiday which meant that it was to be a lonely six weeks, he didn’t know anyone except his parents who were always out, and every other person already had friends. He knew he could meet people at college, but the time in between then and going was to be hard to fill. Vince needed people, it was how he got his energy, he was an extrovert at heart but hadn’t been able to show that side of him since primary school. 

One sunday Vince had been sat on the small balcony attached to his room doing nothing in particular when he had heard a voice coming from below. Definite it had nothing to do with him he ignored it, until a rock came hurtling over his head, and then another one. 

Vince got up instantly and looked down to see a boy, he looked about his age, maybe a year or two older. 

“Hi!” He shouted up.

“What do you want?” Vince shouted back down, slightly annoyed that he had nearly been bludgeoned by a very hard object.

“I was wondering if you wanna come out?” They shouted back. Vince looked unsure. “I’m Tom,” 

“I’m Vince,” 

“Why don’t you come out with us?” Tom asked again, Vince knew the exact answer to that question and that was he did not trust Tom. His first impression of the guy was that he was wearing a Smiths t shirt and had threw a rock at him- not great.

“Why should i trust you?” Although Vince was weary, this encounter was the first he had had with anyone under the age of forty for nearly two weeks, he desperately wanted something slightly more stimulating than whatever birds his dad had seen on that day.

“Because.”

“Because what?”

“Because what do you have to lose? You don’t know anyone here anyway right? You just moved a few weeks ago, my mum told me, we live on the next street,” He said, gesturing over to where the estate continued out to the left.

“Are you asking me out because your mum thinks i’m lonely?” Vince asked, skeptical still.  
“No! I promise i’m not, i was jus’ wondering, you’ve been sat out here for hours today and we were gonna go down to the beach, there’s a fare coming,” Vince looked back at where he had been struggling through some amazing book everyone back at home talked about yet couldn’t get into.

“Look, i promise i’m not trying to start anything, just come down,” Vince nodded, what did he have to lose after all? It would be better to go start college knowing a few people and not a loner. He grabbed his jacket and a tenner off the kitchen counter and went out, Tom looked particularly triumphant that his plea had worked. Tom had brown hair and a Beatles haircut, he was about two inches taller than Vince and talked a lot. He asked Vince where he came from and what music he liked, what football team he supported and why he had such a strange accent. Vince didn’t have anything to tell him other than it was a south london accent and Tom had thought it was hilarious. Vince couldn’t see why as it was Tom’s accent that everyone at highschool used to mock, he didn’t mind though, it was almost like Vic and Bob or Robert Smith, except at the same time not quite.

They walked to past the beach where all the arcades were and past the beach houses until they were walking towards a group of three who seemed very happy to see Tom and slightly confused at the person he was walking with. 

“This is Vince,” he introduced him and then everyone else said their names too, Seth, Molly and Archie. “This is the gang,” 

Vince smiled the best he could, “I just moved her from London,” he said, trying to break the ice casually.

“London? No way!” Molly enthused to Vince’s surprise, “I’ve always wanted to go there, what’s it like?” Vince had never faced this reaction before, or thought it would be a big deal to other people.

“It’s my home, i guess,” 

“Have you ever seen anyone famous? All the famous people live in London,” she stated, waiting to be impressed with what ever Vince said,so he thought hard.

“I saw Jarvis Cocker once, he was wearing a cord suit,”

Something about the people he was surrounded with in this moment felt right. So right that they spent the entire summer together. Everyday Tom would come round to Vince’s at ten AM and throw a rock up to his balcony. He would instantly run down and out, excited about whatever today’s antic would be. 

They’d go to the beach or drive out the nearest village in Tom’s car and explore the hundreds of streets and alleyways that were lined with little fishing cottages turned holiday homes for passing families. It was so far from the home he knew but it was so much more than there. 

They’d listen to music, Molly keen to show Vince whatever new band she had discovered and sometimes Vince would show them they music that he listened to even though it was generally met with groans and turn-that shit-offs. Vince didn’t mind, though when everyone he would stay at Tom’s and Tom would admit that he actually quite liked Can if he was being totally honest. 

Then as the sun began to set the pair would walk up to the abbey and climb the fence, sitting on the cliff and letting the warm breeze gently mess their hair while they talked for hours. And at the end of the six weeks Vince said something he shouldn’t have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking so long to update, the sensible thing to do is write the whole fic and then post it, however i am not sensible

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, sorry this chapters a little shorter than i would have liked but there will be another chapter soon...  
> any feedback is sossooo greatly appreciated! xxx


End file.
